Southern Miss Will Bring Revamped Basketball Roster to Biloxi to Face Ole Miss in December

For the fourth consecutive year, the Golden Eagles are hooping with the Rebels on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Southern Miss guard Isaac Taveras dropped a team-high 20 points in a 71-67 loss to Ole Miss in Biloxi during the 2026-27 season. | Southern Miss Athletics

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Although the full Southern Miss men's basketball schedule for the 2026-27 season hasn't been officially released yet, there are still a handful of games, including the Golden Eagles' Sun Belt slate, that we know for sure are happening.

One of the more exciting nonconference games this season will be a matchup at the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Biloxi with in-state rival Ole Miss on Dec. 22. The game was confirmed by Ole Miss releasing its nonconference schedule on Tuesday. As of this moment, a tip-off time hasn't been determined for that game.

Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner during the 2025-26 season. | Southern Miss Athletics

Last season, head coach Jay Ladner's Golden Eagles dropped a close contest to the Rebels in Biloxi, 71-67. Star guard Isaac Taveras, who returned to the program for his senior year over the summer, led Southern Miss in that game with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor, with seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 30 minutes of action.

The Golden Eagles will be looking for their first win against Ole Miss in basketball since the 2011-12 season, when they won an 86-82 contest at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg on Dec. 17, 2011. The Rebels have not played the Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg since then. The last three matchups between Southern Miss and Ole Miss have all been in Biloxi. This will be the fourth consecutive year the series will be played on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

If there was ever a year for Southern Miss to get back in the win column against Ole Miss, this might be the one. Not only is Taveras back, but the Golden Eagles also brought in several talented players from the transfer portal over the summer to make the roster become more well-rounded.

Isaac Taveras led the Golden Eagles with 32 points in a Sun Belt Conference tournament seminfinals loss to Troy that ended the 2025-26 season. | @SouthernMissMBB

Last year's team was as tough as they come, but it lacked perimeter shooting, which ultimately became a factor down the stretch, as Southern Miss ultimately fell to eventual champion Troy in the Sun Belt Conference tournament semifinals. This season, there are several key names for Golden Eagle fans to be excited about, including returning guard Brewer Carruth, newcomers Camden Cerese, Elliot Tulip, Maximilian Blank, Brandon Weston, Cam Wallace, Anthony Igiede, Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt, Michael Montano and more.

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more Golden Eagles basketball coverage in the coming weeks, including a full 2026-27 schedule breakdown once it's officially released.